'Many people' trapped in shopping mall after Japan quake: fire dept

"Many people" were trapped inside a shopping mall damaged in a major earthquake Tuesday in southwestern Japan, emergency services said.

In "Kashima town, a shopping complex's second floor collapsed, leaving many people trapped inside," the fire department said in a statement.

Police said earlier they had received reports of what sounded like an explosion at the Aeon Mall outlet in the Kumamoto region, with no information on damage or any casualties.